Chains are purchased either on spools or in other formats and then wound on spools using spooling machines. Suppliers sell industrial, commercial and other types of chains in great lengths for storage and contemporaneous use in segments. Segments of chain are generally used for daily use and are obtained by cutting chain using known chain separation techniques. Roller chains, one of the most common type of drive chain, is best known by a recognized use in the cycling industry. Chains are used to transfer rotational forces from a first axis, such as a bicycle crank, to a second axis, such as the rear wheel of a bicycle. Sprockets are attached to both axes to secure the chain to the axes and to help transfer the driving force. Roller chains, unlike some other chains, are segmented at fixed-link distances based on link sizes.
Users of chain often need to purchase and store different sizes, types, and grades of chain in anticipation of different needs. Maintenance departments with large industrial equipment with different sprockets sizes must keep different spools, each with a chain of different size. Bicycle repair shops using a normalized size of chain are forced to keep different grades of chains to meet a demand from casual bikers to experienced professionals. Spools are often sold with circular rims to protect the chains when loaded on the spools. Spools are generally stored sideways on the floor or in a designated storage place to prevent rolling on the rounded edges of the rims and unwinding of the chain stored within the spool. Sideways storage is problematic because with time and low-level floor vibration, the chain unwinds and slowly collects at the bottom of the spool.
In the case of industrial chains, spools are quite heavy and difficult to manipulate. For example, in a motorcycle equipment and repair shop, mechanics must find the right chain from among a group of spools in the repair shop, rearrange the spools until the one needed is within reach, turn the selected spool on its side, and unspool a length of chain while preventing the spool from rolling away in the opposite direction. In large shops with several repair bays, the spool must often be carried over long distances. The transportation of a spool is also problematic because the spool often has no handle and chain may inadvertently touch the floor and collect dirt.
What is needed is an apparatus capable of managing, storing, and distributing a specific type and grade of chain from a plurality of spools. What is also needed is a portable spool storage system that may be moved from one location to another in a single step. What is also needed is a robust apparatus capable of continued operation in an industrial environment and capable of manipulation by transportation devices such as a forklift.